Trevor Cook on public relations, social media and politics

News.com.au bringing the news on delay

November 22, 2008 – 9:23 pm, by Trevor Cook

I’ve noticed this happening a few times on Australia’s major media sites in recent times. In this case, it’s the Palin turkey video that has been circulating on the internet for a couple of days before it ‘finally’ popped up on the Australian news site, Including on MSNBC and on the Huffington Post. It was posted on the Huff Post at 9.27pm 20 November (american eastern time) and on news.com.au at 2.22pm 22 November (Australian eastern daylight saving time) where it is attributed to ’staff writers’ (good grief) and also quotes and Associated Press report. Increasingly, it seems that Australian media and media sites are targeted at people who are not users of the broader Internet.

Comments (3) | Permalink

3 Comments

  1. 1
    lifeasdaddy
    Posted November 24, 2008 at 2:16 pm | Permalink

    This is an interesting one Trevor.

    Fairfax too sometimes seem to be working on a few days delay as a story which begins overseas comes onto the Australian horizon and makes its way to the pages of the Sydney Morning Herald or The Age.

    I’d make a few points about this Palin story and video.

    - It plays directly to her state and national constituency, which are not urban liberals nor Huffington Post readers. And they ain’t animal rights activists either.

    - Killing the Thanksgiving Turkey is something which many Americans find neither shocking nor even offensive. Just a part of life they are very used to – especially the more rural the area.

    - Seeing her pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey all over the internet inextricably links her to a great Presidential tradition. The President pardoning the turkey is a real big deal over there. Get ready to see President Bush pardoning the National Turkey any day now. Here’s last year’s effort: http://www.whitehouse.gov/holiday/thanksgiving/2007/

    The Presidential pardon of the turkey almost always wins a pic in the SMH, and a 10 second clip onthe ABC TV news.

    To be honest, I have never heard of a state governor getting in on the act of pardoning a turkey before this.

    - The very media savvy Gov. Palin would have been quite well aware of the backdrop to her interview and hence completely comfortable with the consequences. When’s the last time you saw national and now international coverage of a failed VP candidate 3 weeks after the election anyway? Get my point? Gov. Palin is not going to fade into the background. (Although I have read a report that one of Palin’s spokespeople said she was unware of the background scene. I don’t believe that. I’m sure she’s seen a turkey slaughter in preparation and progress before.)

    - The woman is a publicity genius.

  2. 2
    Jonathan Green
    Posted November 24, 2008 at 3:06 pm | Permalink

    Oops. We made it video of the day! Do we feel foolish? Yes!

  3. 3
    Trevor Cook
    Posted November 24, 2008 at 3:31 pm | Permalink

    I agree lifeasdaddy I didn’t think it was too shocking whether or not it was a setup. Perhaps because I grew up seeing people chop the head off the chicken that was soon to be sunday lunch. (fresh is best!) But gawd I hope she is going to fade away I can’t bear her

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